Volume 4, Issue 3, Fall/Winter 2006 Website: www.fs.fed.us/r2/arnf/ E-mail: [email protected] Highlights A message from the Forest Supervisor Dedication to 2 Happy Holidays! The win- This issue of the Forests to This issue is full of informa- Howard Alden ter season is upon us. I hope Grassland is very special and tion Howard loved, volunteers you have a chance during this has been compiled in dedica- helping accomplish work on the Front Range 4 Partnership busy time to get out and enjoy tion to Howard Alden, President ARP, interpretation and envi- your National Forests and of the ARP Foundation who ronmental education programs Old Roach 5 Grassland. passed away on October 1. being offered, and stakeholders I am writing this message, Howard was a dear friend and a contributing their thoughts in the New Forest 6 for Glenn Casamassa, our new force of nature who was dedi- Points of View section. Supervisor Forest Supervisor who will be cated to furthering the possibili- Have a wonderful winter. I starting his leadership role for ties of the ARP and natural re- know Glenn looks forward to Restoring 8 the Arapaho and Roosevelt Na- sources everywhere. Please meeting you and working with Wildlife Habitat tional Forests and Pawnee Na- take the time to read about all of you in the future and I look tional Grassland on December Howard’s contributions to the forward to continuing working ARP 10 11 as this newsletter will be in ARP on pages two and three. with you as Foundation route to you. I am excited As we dedicate this issue of the well. Points of View 10 about Glenn joining us. Page Forests and Grassland to How- six contains more information ard, we also send our thoughts about Glenn. to Howard’s family. Jackie Parks Deputy Forest Supervisor

Editor, Forests to Grassland Arapaho and Roosevelt N.F. & Pawnee N.G. 2150 Centre Avenue, Building E Fort Collins, Colorado 80526

Page 2 Forests to Grassland Hot Topics In Dedication To Howard Alden The Arapaho and Roosevelt sources use and enjoyment every- National Forests and Pawnee Na- where. tional Grassland (ARP) and all those Steve Deitemeyer, acting president who love the outdoors and natural of the ARP Foundation sums up How- resources lost a great friend on Octo- ard’s dedication as follows: “I will per- ber 1, 2006, with the passing of How- sonally remember Howard for his dedi- ard Alden, president of the ARP cation to natural resources and desire Foundation. We at the ARP feel his to teach others about their stewardship loss in many ways. In fact, the For- needs. His great humor and sensitivity ests to Grassland Newsletter you for people provided a leadership style are reading reflects the influence of that united communities and left a leg- Howard Alden, who wanted to make acy of commitment.” sure we designed and produced a ARP employees partnered with the newsletter that was a useful tool for ARP Foundation to plant a Rocky those interested in the ARP and Mountain Juniper and native grasses in gave stakeholders the opportunity to front of our Fort Collin’s office in How- contribute to its content. In our first ard’s honor. Howard will be greatly issue published in winter 2002/2003, missed, but the ARP will remember Howard called his fellow stake- him by continuing our partnerships and holders to action. Above: Howard Alden attired in a hat ,vest dialog with stakeholders. He said, “Let us explore opportuni- and smile as most of the ARP would remem- Because of Howard’s dedication to ties and see if we can develop a stronger ber him. This photo was taken when Howard the ARP Foundation and its great poten- partnership among stakeholders and the received the Mitchell Award for 20 years of tial for the ARP, his family requested that contributions to the stewardship of the ARP…. We have the responsibility to Poudre River. in lieu of flowers donations be made to foster the stewardship of the forest and the ARP Foundation. Donations will be grassland resources for today and future ter and his vision and tireless efforts in matched by the National Forest Founda- generations.” co-founding and leading the ARP Foun- tion (for details contact info@arp- Because of Howard’s input and rep- dation we dedicate this issue of Forests foundation.org) . resentation of other stakeholders during to Grassland Newsletter to Howard. This those conceptual newsletter meetings, dedication is in honor of his vast contri- his regular contributions to the newslet- butions to the ARP and natural re-

Article Contributions Vision of Forests to Grassland Newsletter We would like article contributions for the vari- “Our vision is to utilize this ous sections of this tri-annual newsletter. The next newsletter to create a deadline is February 28, 2007. When submitting channel for improving an articles or photos, please provide your name, affilia- tion (if any), phone number and/or e-mail. Send the ongoing dialog between the article, topic or photo via e-mail or hard copy. Arti- Arapaho and Roosevelt cles should be no longer than 500 words and should National Forest and Paw- identify the topic area the article is geared toward. nee National Grassland Please note that there are additional guidelines for the Points Of View Section. You can find those on and stakeholders. page 10. We hope that it will pro- vide new opportunities for Submissions can be sent to: Tammy Williams the public to participate Forests to Grassland with processes, projects 2150 Centre Avenue, Building E and partnerships throughout Fort Collins, CO 80526 the Forests and Grassland.” [email protected] Volume 4, Issue 3, Fall/Winter 2006 Page 3

Howard ‘s Contributions to the ARP! nership Annual Report. While this year’s report will • As a Colorado State University Professor for 22 again provide information about our accomplishments, years Howard taught many Forest Service and ARP we’re taking a slightly different approach to telling our employees in recreation resource management. He story. We’ll still provide updates on acres treated and FRFTP Roundtable activities, as well as Community also had students help the ARP by contributing to Wildfire Protection Plans completed and in progress. several interpretation, recreation and trail design But that’s where the similarities end. This year, we’ll projects. include several feature stories that discuss cross- boundary fuels reduction from the standpoint of land- • As an ARP employee for eight years, Howard owners and other cooperators. The stories will be mod- eled after the “Crossing Boundaries” series, which has helped gather and interpret data and write por- been an effective tool in communicating our successes tions of our 1997 Revised Land and Resource Man- with decision-makers and cooperators alike. If you agement Plan (recreation, monitoring and comment haven’t read the stories, we encourage you to check analysis) . After the plan was finished he coordi- them out at www.frftp.org (click on “News and Features” and then scroll down to “Success Stories”). We will be nated monitoring of the plan and its annual report. publishing several new stories early next year, so we encourage you to visit the website often. • As a co-founder and president of the ARP Founda- We currently have several potential story ideas for tion from its establishment in 2003 to 2006, How- the annual report, but we could use more. We’re look- ard’s personal commitment was a principal driver in ing for stories that focus on collaborative fuels reduction or forest management projects on the Front Range in- all Foundation business from the strategies for cluding the development of Colorado Wildfire Protection the future, logo design, and fundraising to the Plans (CWPPs) research projects and planning efforts, daily operations. Through his leadership and tire- to name a few. If you have an idea, please send a brief less efforts, the ARP Foundation sponsored many description of the project along with names and contact recreation and interpretation activities as well on- information for sources to John Bustos at [email protected] or Katherine Timm at the-ground accomplishments. Two items we know [email protected]. We’d like to include at Howard was very proud of was the Interpretive least two stories each from the northern and southern Training the Foundation sponsored for ARP em- Front Range. ployees and the “Go Connect” vehicle for the Can- yon Lakes Ranger District that allowed the district to bring information and interpretation out to the visitors as they are enjoying the national forest.

• As a friend he shared many passions, whether it be his family, wood carvings or smile. He also took the time to get to know the person not just the position they held.

• Howard’s influence and contributions cannot really be measured and will live on through little seeds he planted in the minds of others, not to mention the The primary goal of the Front Range Fuels Treatment Part- nership (FRFTP) is to enhance community sustainability inspiration. and restore fire-adapted ecosystems through identification, prioritization and rapid implementation of hazardous fuels treatment along the Front Range of Colorado. Front Range Fuel Treatment Partnership The 2007 FRFTP implementers meeting will be held from 9-4:30 on Wednesday, February 7, 2007. The It’s hard to believe, but it’s annual report time again! one-day meeting will be held at the Arvada Center for Over the next several weeks, we’ll be assembling infor- the Arts and Humanities. The planning committee has mation for the 2006 Front Range Fuels Treatment Part- assembled a jam-packed agenda (con’t.page 5 ) Page 4 Forests to Grassland Shadow Mountain Lake Drawdown

The USDA Forest Service together with the Bureau of Reclamation, Northern Colorado Water Conservancy Dis- trict, Three Lakes Watershed Association, Western Area Power Administration and Grand County lowered the wa- ter level of Shadow Mountain Lake (SML) from October 16 to December 1, 2006, to kill aquatic weeds. Over the past several years aquatic weeds in the lake have in- creased to a level that has made navigation and other recreational activities difficult. Agencies lowered the surface elevation of SML ap- proximately 12 feet by preventing water flow into Grand Lake from SML and storing the water in Lake Granby. On December 1, the 12 feet of water from Lake Granby was pumped back into SML bringing it back to its normal water Above: Heading out to rake up weeds.

level on December 8. Below: Kokanee Salmon Egg collection activities below The purpose of the drawdown was to exposed Shadow Mountain Lake Dam. aquatic weeds to freezing temperatures to kill them. Dur- ing the drawdown, existing dockowners who obtained a permit were allowed to remove weeds and lakebed mate- rial from around their dock. Additionally, the Grand County Water Information network hosted two volunteer days. Approximately 16 people participated, raking and piling weeds from the lakebed that were later disposed of. We greatly appreciate their contributions and hard work in cold temperatures. Agencies will continue to monitor the effectiveness on the drawdown on managing weeds in the lake over the next several years. This summer they will conduct a do- pler survey, which will map the extent of the weeds as well as use quick bird aerial photos to monitor water qual- ity. Although we don’t know exactly how effective this drawdown was, we do know that weeds were exposed to freezing temperatures and based on previous drawdowns Bureau of Reclamation closely coordinated maintaining we expect that some weeds were killed. adequate water flows to support the egg collection activi- Conducting the drawdown required a lot of coordina- ties. Additionally, participating agencies provided on-the- tion and partnering. A major concern was ensuring that ground help with the actual egg collection. The DOW had the drawdown didn’t negatively effect the kokanee salmon hoped to collect at least two to two and a half million egg collection activities. The Colorado Division of Wildlife, eggs. At press time well over 2.6 million eggs had been Northern Colorado Water Conservancy District and the collected.

Have You Heard About Facilities Master Planning?

The recreation facility master planning effort provides a scriptions of the sites. This planning effort also checks to see standardized process to examine recreation facilities such if the sites are environmentally sustainable and if there are as campgrounds and look at the level of services and oppor- effects on community stability. tunities the Forest Service can provide. The public depends “As we move through this process, we will be sharing on the Forest Service to make good choices and be fiscally some more information with you about our findings and ask responsible for the resources they manage. The goal of this for your input. Stay tuned,” said Acting Forest Supervisor planning effort is to have a list of facilities prioritized by how Jackie Parks. well the public is served and by how efficient the sites are at For more information on the recreation facilities master providing that service. planning process, call Paul Cruz, Forest Recreation Staff, at Currently, we are gathering and checking data and de- 970- 295- 6614. Volume 4, Issue 3, Fall/Winter 2006 Page 5 Old Roach Passport In Time Project

The Old Roach Passport in Time (PIT) project con- lowed the PIT volunteers to map the activity areas of the nected volunteers, Forest Service archaeologists, and origi- camp, while the sizes of building foundations show that the nal settlers to share lost knowledge of “tie hacking” (railroad camp was divided into “family” and “bachelor” living areas. logging) in the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests PIT volunteers brought a variety of skills and experi- and Pawnee National Grassland (ARP) and preserved this ence to the archaeological sites. Three of the Old Roach unique part of Forest Service history in video and audio volunteers have worked on archaeological sites before, the recordings. In August 2006, five volunteers and three fourth is a history teacher and the fifth a retired engineer. USDA Forest Service (USFS) employees spent a week These volunteers quickly mastered historical artifact identi- recording historical sites in the Old Roach area of the Can- fication and mapping skills and developed questions to ask yon Lakes Ranger District (CLRD) and interviewing the interviewees based on what they had observed at the site. original inhabitants of these sites and their descendants. In Tie hacking was an important early use of National For- addition to identifying and recording archaeological sites, est timber and the legacy of this use is apparent in the log- the volunteers also collected oral histories and historical ging camps, dams, saw mills and cabins throughout the photographs from some of the people who lived at Roach Roach area. The Old Roach PIT project has allowed the as children. The group identified over 100 archaeological CLRD staff to document and preserve the history of, not features and sites, collected several hours of oral history, only a “lost city,” but the Forest Service itself. and compiled dozens of original historical photographs from Old Roach was a critical part of USFS logging history. personal collections. Today it is an outstanding example of the culture, technol- The Old Roach Logging Camp is located southwest of ogy and legacy of tie hacking. The Old Roach PIT Project Laramie, Wyoming, in an area that was extensively logged allowed the ARP staff to finally document the extent of the for railroad ties in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Old camp and to use artifacts to map the camp’s houses, cook- Roach was the headquarters camp of the Otto Lumber house, barn, school and trash dump. Company in the last days of tie hacking in Colorado. Al- though built on Forest Service land, Old Roach was a “real town” that included houses for loggers and their families (some with flush toilets), a school, a cookhouse and even a post office. The tie hacks’ timber contract required that the town be destroyed when the contract expired so that today all that remains of Old Roach is an archaeological site. The OldChanging Roach Places… PIT Changingproject Faces allowed the USFS to use volunteers to fully document the extensive town site and other tie hacking resources in the surrounding area, including a splash dam, log flume, and several work camps. Volunteers and Forest Service employees did not exca- vate artifacts. Instead, they spent the week making a record of the logging camp sites by documenting artifacts and mapping, photographing, and evaluating them for eligibility for the National Register of Historic Places. They also col- Above: The Passport in Time Roach Crew lected several hours of oral history that helped them under- stand the Old Roach site while preserving the lost history of tie hacking on Forest Service lands. Volunteers were recruited through the Passport in Time website www.passportintime.com. The five volun- FRFTP con’t. teers provided a great benefit to the USFS by helping forest staff work in a relatively large area and document the enor- based on feedback from last year’s evaluations. mous Old Roach site, which measures one square mile in The 2007 meeting will include presentations and area with 96 individual features identified. Although the site discussions on the FRFTP Roundtable, Community is relatively recent by archaeological standards (occupied Wildfire Protection Plans, the FRFTP website, re- 1923-1942), little of its history was known. The camp lay- search (CWPPs, treatments in mixed conifer, and out, size, composition, and even dates of occupation had to mastication studies), Stewardship Contracting, grants, budget and legislation, and prescribed fire and smoke be discovered through artifacts and oral history. The identi- management. We’ll also take time during lunch to hear fication of household artifacts (dishes, toys and food cans) ideas for potential field trips. versus logging artifacts (saw blades, files and slabs) al- We look forward to a productive new year. Page 6 Forests to Grassland Changing Places Changing Faces

Hellos and Goodbyes We have had a lot of comings and go- Goodbyes • Roosevelt Hotshot Superintendent ings on the ARP and people detailing to fill • Canyon Lakes Ranger District (CLRD) Dave Hamrick to CLRD Fire Manage- in critical vacancies on the ARP over the Soil Scientist Terra Mascarenas—to ment Officer last summer and this fall. private industry • SRD Administrative Assistant Pat Actings/Detailers • Boulder Ranger District Fire Manage- Thornberry to Pawnee National Grass- • Deputy Forest Supervisor Jackie ment Officer Ed Guzman to Bureau of land Support Service Supervisor Parks– Acting Forest Supervisor Land Management in Lakeview, Ore- • CLRD Rangeland Management Spe- • San Juan National Forest Deputy For- gon cialist Amanda Cameron to CLRD est Supervisor Howard Sargent– Acting • CLRD Fire Management Officer Tracy Range Staff Forest Supervisor Swenson to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Ser- Hellos • Ecosystem Group Leader Hal Gibbs– vice in Utah • Cheri Ford accepted Capital City Coor- Acting Deputy Forest Supervisor • Sulphur Ranger District (SRD) ANRA dinator position. Cheri most recently • Forest Fisheries Biologist Kris Sexton– Crew Supervisor Danelle Highfill to worked in the Eastern Regional office Acting Ecosystem Group Leader Flaming Gorge National Recreation as a government liaison and wildlife • Human Resources Officer Robin Area, Dutch George, Utah program manager. Winston-– Acting Administrative Officer • Supervisors Office (SO) Administrative • Mark McFall accepted the ARP/ and Public Affairs Group Leader Assistant Cristie Lee to Rocky Mountain Medicine Bow Routt Safety Officer posi- • Forest Planner Ken Tu– Acting Admin- Research Station Grants and Agree- tion. Mark most recently worked for the istrative Officer and Public Affairs Group ments Specialist U.S. Department of Health and Human Leader • SO Contracting Specialist Loren Ebner Service where he was their Safety and • Forest Database Manager Eric Jensen- to Lolo National Forest Occupation Health Specialist. Acting Administrative Officer and Public Transfers/promotions • Deb Entwistle accepted the CLRD/ Affairs Group Leader and Safety Officer within the ARP Pawnee Zone Hydrologist position. Deb • Assistant Roosevelt Hotshot Superin- • Boulder District Soils Scientist Eric formerly worked on the PSICC as the tendent Larry Money to Hotshot Super- Schroder to Forest Soils Scientist Forest Hydrologist. intendent • CLRD Wildlife Biologist Lynne Deibel to Forest Wildlife Biologist

New Forest Supervisor National Director for Recreation in Glenn began his Forest Service ca- Washington, D. C., last June. reer in 1982 on the Tongass National Glenn comes to the Rocky Mountain Forest, Prince of Wales Island, South- Region from the Forest Service’s Legis- east Alaska. Later assignments in- lative Affairs Staff in Washington, D.C., clude several national forests in Utah where he has served since 2003, work- as a timber forester and recreation for- ing with Congressional staff, Depart- ester, the Intermountain Regional Of- ment of Agriculture officials, and the fice in Ogden as Regional Environ- Office of Management and Budget on mental Coordinator, and the Manti-La Forest Service issues related to legisla- Sal National Forest in Utah where he tion, program oversight and budget for- served as district ranger for the Moab mulation. and Monticello Ranger Districts. He Glenn is very excited about his new served as the Acting Area Ranger for Above: Glenn Casamassa, the new position and responsibilities. the Sawtooth National Recreation Area Forest Supervisor for the ARP He said, “I am truly humbled by the in central Idaho in 2002. duties entrusted to me as the Forest Glenn has a wife named Rosemary We are excited to welcome our new Supervisor of the Arapaho and Roose- and two children. His daughter lives in Forest Supervisor, Glenn Casamassa. velt National Forests and Pawnee Na- Missoula, Montana, and works for the Glen will begin to serve as the Arapaho tional Grassland. I look forward to University of Montana and his son is in and Roosevelt National Forests and working with the employees of the For- the Navy. Pawnee National Grassland Forest est, the communities, and all those in- Welcome Glenn! Supervisor on December 11. Glen re- terested in the management of such a place Jim Bedwell who became the special place.” Volume 4, Issue 3, Fall/Winter 2006 Page 7

Forest Service Highlights Donner Pass Bridge Repair How many mules does it take to haul bridge-building National Parks materials into the forest? According to Glen Ryan, a U.S. Service. Forest Service (USFS) pack string supervisor, five. The pack Jimmy, Skid, Bruce, Joey and Jeff were the five tall, string has three black mules led by Ryan and his horse Leah to carry in primary roles materials for a bridge on the Donner Pass Trail on the within the USFS. Canyon Lakes Ranger District. The crew carried in con- First is work pro- struction materials, and it was the first time they had jects like the one packed anything eight feet in length. done on Donner The Northern Colorado Trail Riders saw a need for this Pass. Second is bridge to be repaired, so they applied for and received a to represent the state grant to help get this work done. They provided the USFS. This is Above: The Regional pack string is loaded materials and the USFS designed the bridge and sup- done through with bridge materials. ported the pack string. fairs, parades The Rocky Mountain Pack String is based out of the and horse expos. The last role is training. The group con- South Platte Ranger District on the Pike/San Isabel Na- ducts training on not only packing animals, but also horse- tional Forests. The group travels all over the Rocky Moun- manship and safety. The group is an asset to the Rocky tain Region and also occasionally does work outside the Mountain Region for all that the mules provide. region and for other government agencies, such as the 2006 Hispanic Natural Resources Career Camp

The 2006 Hispanic Natural Resources Career Camp, sponsored by Colorado State University (CSU) and the U.S. Forest Service was held to educate Hispanic students about natural resource careers. The camp was held at CSU’s Pingree Park Mountain Campus located west of Fort Collins, Colo. Students were taught about natural resource sci- ences and research techniques. Topics included aquatic ecology, forest ecology, ornithology, hydrology, archeology, fire science and wildfire fighting. This year included presentations from a Canyon Lakes Ranger District wildland fire- fighter and a Roosevelt Hotshot crew member. These two firefighters captured the students’ attention with personal testimony from their fire experience. The session was so successful, that organizers hope to permanently add this to the annual agenda.

Monarch Lake 5th Grade Environmental Education Day

Over 120 fifth grade students par- This year’s interpretive activities were Monarch History, ticipated in the annual Monarch Lake Wildlife, Pine Beetle Education, Pond Life, Outdoor Sur- Environmental Education Day on vival, Bird Watching & Binocular Use, Firefighting & September 20, 2006, presented by Safety, and Animal Clue Relay. the USDA Forest Service Sulphur The more our students understand our public lands and Ranger District, Colorado Department the resources within, the better equipped they will be to of Wildlife, and Rocky Mountain Na- make sound decisions for the future use and conservation tional Park, with additional support of these lands. We are facilitating this understanding in our from the Colorado State Forest Ser- children through the educational partnership of the public vice. land managers, our county schools, teachers, and the par- Students from Fraser, Granby, ents of our students. Grand Lake and West Grand Elemen- Our goal is not to necessarily teach the students every- tary Schools, Indian Peaks Charter thing there is to know about any particular subject, but to Above: A student School, and Winter Park Christian provoke their curiosity and interest, relate the learning to explores nature School participated in eight memorable their everyday lives, and to give these students more learning stations throughout the day. pieces to the picture puzzle that is our public lands. Page 8 Forests to Grassland Great Summer for Interpretation on Mt. Evans The Clear Creek Ranger District significantly improved the terpretive trainers. This year, certified interpretive trainers Mt. Evans interpretive programs this past summer. Approxi- Todd Hess and Jeremiah Hyslop where able to teach the Na- mately 4,000 visitors attended these programs and the inter- tional Association for Interpretation’s 32-hour Interpretive pretive crew made around 20,000 visitor contacts. Our volun- Guide course to the entire crew and interested partners. teer coordinator, Susan Jones helped expand the volunteer Throughout this past summer, five interpretive guides did pro- program from four last year to 15 this year. These volunteers grams on bighorn sheep and mountain goats, history, moun- put in a total of 710 hours of informal wildflower interpretation, tain place names, geology and alpine ecology. as well as general customer service. Overall, it was the most successful season for interpreta- The Arapaho Roosevelt Pawnee Foundation paid for For- tion on the mountain since 1997 when the district first began est Service employees to attend training so they could be in- offering the service. Volunteers Spotlights A Passion for Serving the Public Caring for the land and cases, benches, steps to Smokey’s Christmas Tree Cabin, serving people. The motto of and anything else that wood can be turned into, he also the Forest Service could not helped organize the Poudre Wilderness Volunteers (PWV) describe Del Brown any more on the CLRD and spent six years with the organization. He accurately. and his wife also worked on three PIT, Passport in Time, pro- Del has dedicated almost jects. One of the projects was the front porch of Arrowhead 6,000 hours of service to the Lodge on the CLRD. The other two included the front port of Above: Del and a display case Canyon Lakes Ranger Dis- the Jacob Lake Ranger Station on the Kaibab National For- he constructed. trict (CLRD) and the Arapaho est and working two weeks on the Inland Passage of the and Roosevelt National For- Tongass National Forest off of a boat mapping old fox farms ests and Pawnee National Grassland since October 1994. on islands. His daughter was the crew chief on this project Del likes that his volunteering keeps him busy and provides a and was a Forest Service archeologist on the Tongass. benefit to the forest. Del enjoys a lot of his work on the CLRD and with its staff. “I’ve got nothing else to do,” Del said. “I guess it’s in my He thinks teaching others who stumble into the shop while he nature to keep doing stuff.” is there is really fulfilling and fun and enjoys working with And, you can see that attitude throughout Del’s life. Del many of the seasonal employees. first spent two years with the army after graduating from “The younger folks are wonderful to work with,” he said. Colorado State University, back when it was Colorado A & M And, so is Del. His work continues to be an enormous College. Following those two years, he worked for the Colo- benefit to the district. rado State Forest Service for 30 years before retiring from Del’s legacy will live on for years on the district in the form being the deputy state forester in 1985. After retirement Del of roofed kiosks, modern and historic signs, repaired doors and his wife spent three years in Ecuador with the Peace and windows at Arrowhead, and a well-organized and well Corps. teaching high school students and others how to set equipped district woodworking shop,” CLRD Volunteer Coor- up a nursery and utilize forestry on coffee farms and ranches. dinator Kristy Wumkes said. This was merely the beginning of his devotion to caring for So, the next time you see a trailhead bulletin board or sit the land and serving people. on a bench on the Greyrock Trail, notice the detail of crafts- Besides Del’s 6000 hours building more than 25 trailhead manship and think of Del in the Fort Collins woodworking bulletin boards, countless trail markers, trail signs, display shop. National Public Lands Day on the Sulphur Ranger District

The Sulphur Ranger District (SRD) co-hosted another High Lonesome Trail/ Continental Divide Scenic Trail. successful National Public Lands Day on September 30. They also rerouted one-half mile of trail, improved the Five projects were accomplished by 170 volunteers, sav- streambed and constructed two bridges on the Straw- ing participating agencies approximately three and a half berry Trail. months of time and approximately $45,000. Non-Forest Service projects included trail work on Two of the five projects were located on SRD. Volun- Lake Irene in Rocky Mountain National Park, buck and teers improved water drainage, cleared the trail of windfall rail fence construction at the Jesse Historical Cabin for trees, constructed water crossings, rehabilitated 200 feet the Bureau of Land Management and trail construction of trail and constructed or re-routed 500 feet of trail on the from Fraser to Granby by the Headwaters Trails Alliance. Volume 4, Issue 3, Fall/Winter 2006 Page 9 Boulder Ranger District and Volunteers Restore Wildlife Habitat and Watershed Health

During the 2006 field season, the Boulder Ranger District (BRD) successfully completed several important res- toration projects with much help from partners and volunteers. Together we restored approximately 16 acres of important habitats including wetlands, riparian areas, old growth ponderosa pine forest, and both dry and wet mountain meadows. Involvement of off-highway vehicle (OHV) enthusiasts, particularly working with local restoration and environ- mental groups, is vital to the success of restoration projects and to reinforce a stewardship ethic among motorized users of National Forest System lands. By cooperating on these projects with the Forest Service and other volun- teer groups, volunteers from the local OHV community set a good example for other OHV visitors. These OHV groups brought funds, tools and equipment, vehicles to haul materials on demanding roads, and hardy, dedicated volunteers. Cooperation between environmental and user groups helps people with different perspectives find common ground, working toward mutual goals. On-the-ground benefits include restoring sponge and filter watershed capabilities, reducing sedimentation, re- storing vegetation needed by local wildlife and keeping motorized use out of sensitive areas. In future years, the BRD will implement additional restoration projects that will continue to improve watershed function and wildlife habitat in this area. The BRD is grateful for the ongoing support of our many partners and volunteers. Projects like these would not happen without them! Below are project summaries describing this effort. James Peak Trailhead Yankee Doodle Lake Bald Mountain at East Portal and Jenny Creek Partners: Wildlands Restoration Vol- Partners: Volunteers for Outdoor Partners: Environmental and user unteers Colorado and Gilpin County- 50 volun- groups, Rising Sun Four Wheel Drive teers Club (also contributed funding), Rocky Project: Implemented a portion of the Mountain Recreation Initiative, the Caribou Travel Management Plan in a Project: To treat the noxious weed Sierra Club, and Colorado Rails to high elevation area west of the Cari- oxeye daisy on five acres at the East Trails bou townsite, near the Indian Peaks Portal of the historic Moffat Tunnel, Wilderness. WRV celebrated its 100th where a trailhead accesses the James Project: Restored wetlands, lake- project on this September weekend, Peak Wilderness to prevent its en- shore and upland habitat, and a combining restoration on National For- trance into the Wilderness. stream channel by installing fencing est lands with work on Boulder County and restoring degraded upland and Parks and Open Space lands near Caribou Flats Wet Meadow wetland areas. Fencing restricts vehi- Nederland the previous day. Partners: Mountain Youth Corps at cle travel to designated routes. the Nederland Teen Center Park Creek Riparian Area and Lefthand Canyon OHV Area Bunce School Road Aspen Project: Followed up backhoe scarifi- Partners: Big Thompson 4 Wheelers Grove cation and grass plug transplant work OHV club and Wildlands Restoration Partners: Big Thompson 4 Wheelers gathering and sewing local seeds and Volunteers, additionally the James digging some of the grass plugs Creek Watershed Initiative obtained Project: Installed buck and rail fenc- deeper into the soil to better cover all an EPA nonpoint source 319 grant to ing in two different areas to protect the roots. fund this and future projects in this riparian areas from off-highway vehi- OHV area. cle use before the areas became more degraded and to protect rare plant Project: Completed our third restora- habitat in an aspen grove. tion project in this popular OHV area. A degraded area was restored within

the Lower Creek Closure in the “Carnage Canyon” drainage, in old growth ponderosa pine habitat and installed post and cable fencing to keep vehicles on designated routes.

For further information or to remove yourself from the mailing list, please contact Forest to the Grassland Editor @ [email protected], rcloudman @fs.fed.us or our website @ www.fs.fed.us/arnf or mail to ARP, 2150 Centre Avenue, Building E, Fort Collins, CO 80526 Volume 4, Issue 2, Summer 2006 Forests to Grassland Page 10

Stakeholder/partners Highlights A Time of Reflection and Transition for the ARP Foundation The ARP Foundation, like everyone at this time of year, is nated to be matched for special Forests and Grassland pro- in a reflective period as the 2006 year comes to an end. The jects in Howard’s memory. year has been one of successes, challenges, growth, project The Foundation will continue to work on carry over 2006 development, surprises and change. Our founding president, projects including Grassland trails, Winter Park Hotel contri- Howard Alden, would have considered this a successful year butions, matching National Forest Foundation grants, a con- in the development of this relatively new organization, and tinued “Friends of the Forest” campaign and other fund rais- would be anxiously anticipating 2007 as a year of continued ing projects. organizational growth. We will miss Howard’s creative en- The Foundation welcomes new Forest Supervisor Glenn ergy and wisdom as we transition the Foundation’s Board Casamassa to the Forest and to the Rocky Mountain Region activities and community outreach programs. Howard left a leadership team. We look forward to working with him and legacy for conservation stewardship and education, and a his staff to grow the Foundation’s support programs, and help great deal of organizational momentum that will keep the to find ways to include surrounding communities as participat- Foundation moving ahead in support of Forest programs. ing partners in the many significant Forests and Grassland We deeply appreciate the support of the Alden family and program and project opportunities. friends in identifying the Foundation as the beneficiary of submitted by Steve Deitemeyer, Acting President, ARP Foundation Howard’s honorariums. To date, over $6100 has been do- Arapaho-Roosevelt –Pawnee Foundation

Points of View The last three issues of the Forests to Grassland have shooters might realize there could be foot traffic coming up been dedicated to starting a dialog about recreational shoot- from the river, the fact that this trail is located in a demo’ed ing. Below is another submission on this topic: area of the forest or an official 4wd ripped up area, why would “This is in response to the points of view conversation on respect for life suggest itself when our keepers of our National shooting in our National Forest. I agree with the real concern Forest have not respected the land enough to manage and of the hunter that a few bad eggs will ruin it for all…and that protect it. I don’t think we need new roads and shooting we do not need more new shooting ranges to solve the ranges in our national forests, this only adds insult to injury problem. I have also first hand knowledge on this topic since and begins to compound the tell-tell signs we see coming one day I was trail running up to stove prairie from the Poudre down. River and when approaching the upper poorly marked trail What about putting a few buffalo out on the Pawnee? head, I kept running toward the trail head even after hearing Thanks for listening,Chad Doverspike.” shots; so as to not be one of the “more excitable people” We appreciate our readers willingness to share their mentioned in points of view. This I found out rightly went thoughts. If there is another topic you would like to start a against my better instinct because three youths were indeed dialog on please see the Points of View Guidelines box below. literally shooting down the trail at no target. Help us keep a dialog going on subjects that are important to A few conclusions, youth learn and respect what they see. the ARP. Although this trail could have been marked better so that

Points of View Guidelines: Submissions must be factual and geared towards starting a dialog rather than stating a position or criticizing another individual or organization. We would like to hear what you are interested in, your likes, dislikes, major concerns and hopes for the Arapaho and Roo- sevelt National Forests and Pawnee National Grassland. Contributions will only be accepted if the contributors provide their name, af- filiation (if any), phone number and/or e-mail address so the board may contact them about their submission. Submissions must be no longer than 300 words and can only be submitted electronically or in hard copy form (no disks) to: Points of View Board:Arapaho & Roosevelt NF & Pawnee NG,2150 Centre Avenue, Building E, Fort Collins, CO 80526 or e-mail: tjwil- [email protected] The non-U.S. Forest Service, POV board will ensure items submitted meet guidelines for the section, will edit for grammar and spell- ing, and work with the person(s) submitting articles if the articles need to be shortened. Submissions for the next issue of the Forest to Grassland are due: February 28, 2007.

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